Random thoughts from an unconventional Spaniard in the States

After spending the night in one of the hotels right outside the entrance of the National Park, we woke up really early (5.30ish) to go for a mule ride. The idea is simple: follow a trail which starts at the very edge of the Canyon (known as “Bright Angel Trail”) and which takes you down to Plateau Point, which is a spot from which you can enjoy a scenic view of the Colorado River running 1,300 feet below. The ride to Plateau Point takes around 3 hours, and of course you need about the same amount of time to ride back up to the starting point.

The idea of a mule ride by itself may sound childish or boring at first, but once you are there and you see the narrow path along the cliffs that those mules traverse on a daily basis, it is easy to get scared by the actual prospect. As the manager of the mule company put it during the almost 1-hour long talk that he gave us previous to the trip, “This is not a pony ride in Disneyland”. Apparently, mules have been used to go down into the Canyon for the last 100 years, since they are strong and reliable animals known for their endurance and their sure-footedness. There are even some pictures of Theodore Roosevelt riding one of these mules along the Bright Angel trail.

At the beginning, the goal was to transport miners and materials to the bottom of the Canyon and back up. However, someone decided at some point that the actual trip would make a great tourist attraction on its own. It seems that there have never been any casualties in spite of the hundreds of tourists that have ridden the mules ever since, but animals are still animals and they can always have unpredicted reactions: that is why everyone is asked to sign a release form assuming the risks involved in the activity.

The trip is a rough, hard and bumpy one. It is exhausting and physically demanding. Everybody is asked to wear long trousers, closed shoes, a hat and long-sleeved shirts to protect from the sunburn and, more importantly, to avoid dehydration. Also, riders are constantly reminded to drink from a water canteen (a real “bota” made in Spain, by the way :-) precisely for the same reason. The experience, in any case, is truly amazing and well worth all the trouble. The views are breathtaking and the feeling as you ride along the sharp cliffs while you contemplate the Canyon from within is simply unforgettable. Highly recommended.